Big month for big hires: Groupon, Reverb and others welcomed new execs in November

by Michael Hines

December 4, 2017

November was a busy month for Chicago tech. In addition to raising $128 million in fresh funding, the ecosystem saw several leading companies introduce new executives. These were the month’s biggest hires.

Steve Krenzer is the company’s new COO. He joins Groupon from Core Digital Media, a marketing and consumer acquisition platform, where he was CEO. Krenzer will oversee global operations and marketing and will be responsible for the company’s North America and international segments.

Colin Bodell

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER

Colin Bodell is Groupon’s new CTO. Bodell has served as CTO at both American Eagle Outfitters and Time Inc. Bodell, who will be based in Seattle, will lead Groupon’s technology strategy and implementation efforts.

Molly Fannin is director of the recently launched Reverb Foundation, a nonprofit supporting organizations and initiatives that help musicians from different walks of life access gear, educational opportunities and opportunities to play. Fannin joins Reverb from YMCA where she led donor stewardship efforts.

“We’re excited to become a resource for the amazing nonprofits, education organizations and other peers that work every day to make the world more musical,” said Fannin in a statement.

CityBase, whose digital platform helps governments make their services more accessible, has hired Josh Mallamud as COO. Mallamud joins the company from DialogTech, where he was a senior vice president.

“He has just the right experience and drive to accelerate the pace of our innovation and growth,” said CityBase CEO Mike Duffy in a statement.

Jillian Sheehan is the new CFO at Aquilon, a SaaS company whose platform makes it easier to buy and sell energy. Sheehan brings a wealth of Chicago-area startup experience to her new role. She was most recently CFO of Raise and was an executive vice president and CFO at Textura.

Roger Liew announced plans to leave ShopRunner, where he currently serves as CTO, to join Impact Engine as an operating partner. Impact Engine is a venture fund that invests in early-stage, for-profit startups working to make a positive social or environmental impact. In addition to investing, Liew will leverage his experience — he was CEO at Orbitz before joining ShopRunner — to support the growth of the fund’s startups.